My Friends
by India Rose Ghersi
Summary: A little girl loves playing with her friends in her dreams, and when tragedy strikes, they come back! O universe-ish
1. Chapter 1

The young girl smiled as the hand was outstretched toward her, grin widening as she slipped her small hand into his.

"There she is, the little Belle," he said, squeezing her hand lightly.

"Hello, Le Vieux," she said, giving him her best smile.

Carefully, he led her to his umbrella boat and helped her climb on. Le Vieux made sure she was sitting safely before leaning back to give them a push and get started. He squatted beside the young girl, looking ahead of them as they floated gently along the calm blue water.

Her face lit up even more when she saw three of the tall, serious looking men in bright red jackets standing on the land where they would dock, hands behind their backs, looking straight ahead, toward them, at attention. The Comets.

With Le Vieux's help, the young girl climbed upon a merry go round horse behind one of the Comets. Le Vieux made sure she was holding tight before going to the merry go round horse behind her, climbing on behind an identical looking Comet.

The girl let her head fall back to look at the sky as they flew through the air on those merry go round horses. The cool wind rushed past her face and she smiled. She felt free, and that was the best feeling in the world.

Before long, they landed and striped people, the Zebras, came dancing toward them. Two of them came up either side of her, grabbing hold of her hands, and together they ran, hair flying wildly in the rushing wind created by their speed. The Comets weren't fair behind and Le Vieux a little behind them. He was old, and slower, but the little girl didn't care. He was just as much fun as the others.

The Zebras looked at her with a mischievous gleam in their eyes. She knew what came next. Almost in sync with her stripy friends, the little girl took a deep breath of air and held it, and together, she dived with the Zebras into the water. They swam a way, and emerged miraculously dry on the other side.

* * *

Everyone smiled, the little girl brightest of all. They had arrived. They'd had the fun journey, and they'd arrived.

One of the Zebras crouched, so their face was mere inches from the little girl. They rubbed noses and the Zebra smiled, leaning back and doing a backflip into the water, jumping right out again a moment later. Here, the fun begins.


	2. 2 Bad News

"I'm sorry," said the doctor, his face fallen and full of sympathy, "your daughter has leukaemia."

Harmony sat still, staring wide eyed at the doctor, non comprehending.

"Are you sure?" her mother asked desperately, slowly meeting the doctor's eyes with her timid, tear filled gaze.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said again, "but luckily, we've caught it early. I think chemotherapy would be her best option." Harmony's mother nodded slowly, taking everything in.

"Mummy," Harmony spoke up finally, her little voice barely a whisper. "What's going on?"

Her mother's face softened at her daughter's words and she knelt in front of her, gently resting her hands on her daughter's knees and looking into her eyes. "You're sick Sweetie, she said, struggling to keep her voice even, "very sick."

"I don't feel sick," said Harmony, "just tired."

"I know Baby," her mother reached up, brushing the hair from her daughter's face. "But the Doctor, he's going to try and make you better."

Harmony's eyes turned to look at he doctor, watching them from his desk. He nodded solemnly when the young girl's eyes reached him. "You might feel a little more sick when we're trying to make you better, but it'll be worth it. Ok?"

Still not completely sure of what was going on, Harmony nodded slowly.


	3. 3 They Came Back!

"Alright Harmony," said a kindly nurse in a gentle voice, "it's time to go to sleep now Sweetie. We're gonna give you something to help alright? Just close your eyes now, good girl."

From a little way away, Harmony's mother watched as her little girl closed her eyes and the nurse slowly, gently inserted a needle into her arm. A moment later, her little face went all serene and calm and then, a small smile escaped her lips, immediately relaxing her tense mother.

* * *

Harmony smiled at the sight of her old friend. "My Belle," he said extending his hand toward her as the smile spread wide across his lips, "there you are". Taking it, she allowed Le Vieux to lead her to his umbrella boat and they glided along the water to the Comets, where they flew up in the sky on horseback before running with the playful, mischievous Zebras.

* * *

The nurses frowned at the happy, calm expression on young Harmony's face. That was the last thing they had expected. A child this small? They'd thought of crying and screaming and kicking about. Resistence. Anything but this.

* * *

The smile on Harmony's lips was inerasable and she squeezed her mother's hand on the way back out to the car to go home.

"They came back Mummy! They came back! My friends! They came back for me!" she said excitedly, practically jumping with each step.

"That's great Harmony," said her mother, a little confused, "your friends? What friends?"

"Le Vieux! The Zebras! The Comets!" Harmony said, full of excitement.


	4. 4 Wish

A few months later, Harmony's condition had worsened and it was at the stage that she'd been granted a wish from a wish granting charity.

"What would you like Harmony?" the man asked, "it could be anything."

"I want to see my friends," the young girl said determinedly. The man shrugged as he rose to his feet. That seemed easy. Though, his lips took a slight downward turn as the girl's mother rested a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"I've figured it out," she said, "the friends Harmony means. She dreams about them, and they play with her in her dreams."

"Oh?" said the man, his eyes widening.

"They're characters from a Cirque Du Soleil show," explained Harmony's mother in a whisper, "from O. The Zebras, the Comets and Le Vieux."

"Right," said the man, a little confused.

"Maybe if she could see the show and meet them?" her mother suggested hopefully.

"I'll see what I can do," said the man, being swift about making an exit before any more could be asked of him.


	5. 5 Dreams Really Can Come True

In her seat, Harmony couldn't keep still, practically bouncing in it as if it were a trampoline rather than a simple seat. She got even more excited at the sight of a white gloved hand emerging from the bright red curtain. Her face simply lit up when the tuxedo clad man fully emerged from the curtain and Harmony couldn't stop smiling as he leaned backwards, laughing a mad inventor's laugh and the curtain disappeared- seeming to fly upward and away into the sky.

Harmony's mother had to press a firm hand to her daughter's mouth as she let out a squeal at the striped people running onto the stage from either side, bending to rub noses before running away again.

Swaying with the music, Harmony's already huge grin widened yet more at the sight of white haired men in red jackets, descending on giant merry go round horses from the sky and coming to skim along the pool of water. Harmony was the happiest she'd ever been in her entire life.

* * *

It was too much. Harmony couldn't contain her excitement any longer and let out an involuntary squeal. Not believing what she was seeing, the young girl blinked several times then rubbed her eyes. But when she opened them again, they were still there. Harmony ran straight for Le Vieux, hugging him with such force that he was almost knocked to the ground. After she'd pulled away, Le Vieux leaned back to look at her, patting her head lightly.

"Little Belle," he said, simply delighting the little girl.

Next, Harmony turned to the Comets, whose usual serious demeanour broke on seeing the pure joy and excitement on the little girl's face and small smiles escaped from their own lips as they knelt to her level. She went to them quickly, though nowhere near as fast as she'd raced for Le Vieux. "You flew on the horses again," Harmony smiled. The Comets simply nodded, the smiles on their own faces unusually non-faltering.

The Zebras welcomed Harmony with open arms and she ran into them, allowing them to hug her tight for a second. The Zebras rose to a kneel and brushed noses with the young girl.

The happy meeting halted a moment hen Harmony's mother called to her. "How about a photo sweetie?"

Eagerly, Harmony nodded and everyone got into position around Harmony as her mother took the camera from her bag.

"Smile!"

* * *

"Hey," said a Zebra, patting Harmony's shoulder lightly. It was time to go, but she could see that the little girl was upset and reluctant to leave. "You'll see us again, don't worry."

"Really?" Harmony asked, her whisper full of hope. Behind the small cluster of Zebras, the Comets nodded solemnly, sympathy in their eyes.

"Be brave, ok little Belle?" Le Vieux added, taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze, "you are strong, I know you are."

* * *

Harmony's mother turned back for a moment, pausing before they left and saw that her daughter had brought tears to the eyes of the Cirque characters. When they all looked at her, she smiled and mouthed them a 'thank you'. The characters nodded and watched the little girl who thought of them all as her best friends go.


	6. Epilogue Memories

_Many Years Later_

Now in her late twenties, Harmony ran her finger along the photo frame, smiling at the picture inside and the memory it held.

In the centre stood her five year old self, smiling so brightly it reached her eyes. Behind her stood the Comets, small smiles on their serious faces with their hands on her shoulders. Inbetween Harmony and the Comets knelt Le Vieux, his arms spread wide and either side of her younger self were two Zebras, smiling at the camera as their arms were slipped around her waist.

Harmony remembered that day as clearly as if it had been yesterday and still the memory warmed her heart. Since then, she'd gone on to beat the cancer. She'd been strong, and brave, just as Le Vieux had said and she now had a daughter of her own, Belle, who'd been named in their honour and introduced to the colourful bunch very early on. Now three, Belle never tired of hearing her mother's story of when she met her friends and talked endlessly about one day seeing them for herself.


End file.
